BOZEMAN -- A rare opportunity for Leadership Excellence training from one of the leading Lean thinkers in the United States will be offered in five Montana cities in late August and early September. The six-hour event is intended to improve business health using simple, straight-forward principles.

Lean manufacturing expert Bill Waddell will lead training sessions in Billings, Bozeman, Helena, Missoula and Kalispell. The events are hosted by the Montana Manufacturing Extension Center (MMEC), the Montana Department of Commerce Business Resource Division and the Montana Small Business Development Center. Waddell has addressed professional, academic and military groups on five continents and has spoken and taught in virtually every leading manufacturing forum in the United States. He is considered a global supply chain expert, one of the original Lean Accounting "thought leaders" and a leading expert in lean manufacturing.

Waddell recently co-authored Simple Excellence, a book about organizing and aligning the management team in a company for effective Lean transformation. Ten free copies of his book will be available to early registrants (limit two per company) at each location, courtesy of the Montana Department of Commerce. He also wrote Rebirth of American Industry, has published numerous articles, and is the most widely read manufacturing blogger on the Internet.

Provocative and humorous, Waddell will provide the key elements for business owners, managers and their teams to begin creating a culture of excellence. The role of leadership and its impact on employees will be clearly defined. Each class runs from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and includes lunch. The fee is $195 per person with discounts for teams of four or more.